The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

The simple fact is that you'll learn techniques faster if they fit with your current game and what you're already good at. And the flipside is that if techniques don't mesh with your current game then expect the learning process to take a lot longer. The term I use for this is 'congruence'. For example, the berimbolo isn't really congruent with the closed guard and the half guard... This audio rant goes into depth about congruence for BJJ techniques and positions, and gives you some concrete examples of more techniques that are congruent and others that are not.

Stephan rants about martial arts overtraining, which is the surest route to getting sick, injured, and bringing your training to a screeching halt.  He's been there many times, so he speaks from experience here.  Stephan also covers how to recognise overtraining before it gets too bad, and what you need to do to prevent it.

Starting with a discussion of Darth Vader's lightsabre technique in Rogue One we then go deeply into the topic of paralysis by analysis in jiu-jitsu, teaching technique, the best way to train to get good fast, and many other fun topics.  We finish up by talking about areas that we've focussed on in our own training this last year and what's on the menu for next year!

In the first part of this episode Stephan discusses how BJJ training is fantastic preparation for dealing with adversity in all aspects of life.  In part 2 he shares 7 reasons that your mind might be going blank on the mat and what you can do about it.  Get notified of future podcasts, videos and articles by signing up at http://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter

Whether you're working a full time job, a parent with a couple of kids, or a student juggling a crazy class schedule, almost everyone is really busy these days.   And if you're also trying to squeeze regular training into that busy schedule, well, things can end up in the ludicrous zone pretty quickly... I'm no exception: of course I'm running Grapplearts, training in BJJ and trying not to fall too far behind on my conditioning, but I'm also a full time firefighter, have a couple of kids, and - until recently anyway - was responsible for homeschooling those two kids half time. Anyway, life wearing all those different hats is exciting at best and exhausting at worst!   Along the way I've picked up some tips for continuing to train and improve in the martial arts when time is super limited that I'd like to share with you... Everyone is Busy! Everyone is busy and we all wish we had more time but time is limited. Every day is 24 hours so we get 168 hours a week. That's it. If we consider the eight or so hours we

On the one hand, I’m a huge fan. I’ve been watching the UFC since its inauguration in 1993, and have enjoyed fights in Pride FC, Shooto, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, and many other organisations. I have good friends who are professional fighters, and have helped them prepare for their fights. And I have nothing but respect for the skill, athleticism and mental toughness of the modern MMA fighter. But on the other hand I’ve always had misgivings about the sport too. Initially it was the seedy underbelly of the sport that worried me. The established press of the time pilloried the UFC as an underground bloodsport, and they weren’t that far off base. There was copious blood, a general lack of rules, extreme mis-matches between fighters, and brutal fights that went on much longer than would be acceptable today. Furthermore, the only places in my town televising the early events were strip clubs, which only amplified the sense of it being an illicit activity. Watching the fights alongside strippers, drug dealers an

The ever-controversial Rob Biernacki is back on the podcast.  We answer BJJ questions ranging from the deification of instructors to passing the guard and he doesn't hold back.  

Stephan interviews Kurt Osiander, a BJJ black belt under Ralph Gracie known for his no BS communication style and his informative Youtube instructional videos.   Old school Ralph Gracie training tactics The attributes that make a champion Gi vs no gi training for MMA The role of talent in jiu-jitsu Can anyone become a black belt? Physical preparation and conditioning for competition Tattoos, art, European sword fighting and other things Kurt Developing mental toughness in BJJ The effect of modern competition techniques on street self defense skills See the video of this interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F11mqkvWHE

I talk with Rob Biernacki, a friend, BJJ black belt, and contributor to Grapplearts (see the videos and articles he's been involved with here). This is a fun, opinionated conversation in which I'm sure we'll offend just about everyone!  Some of the topics we covered in the 1:19 discussion include...  How the underlying principles of BJJ that make it easy to learn techniques, adapt to new situations, and transition effortlessly between gi and no gi training Stories about cultish schools run by insane martial arts instructors A narrow escape from vindictive ninjas in the 1980s The role of competition in BJJ  Maintaining standards in the martial arts Why suffering is a good thing for the development of martial arts skills I hope you'll like it!  

Eddie 'Wolverine' Cummings talks with Stephan Kesting about leglocks, including why the heel hook is one of the most powerful submissions in BJJ, how to train them safely, and how to apply them correctly.  Leglocks are incredibly dominant in modern no gi competition, so learn more about them in this podcast.

Direct from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, I chat with BJJ black belt Jeff Rockwell about: How certain techniques are 'discovered' again and again  What the basics are and why you need one tool for every range Self defense vs competition jiu-jitsu When butt flopping in a self defense situation is the RIGHT thing to do Hair grab defenses for women Law enforcement applications of BJJ And much more

It's one thing to be beaten by a better opponent, but it's quite another to go out there and underperform... to do less than you know you're capable of.  You can be in top shape and have your techniques honed to a razor's edge, but can  still perform poorly in BJJ competition if your mental preparation is lacking. In this Grapplearts podcast I talk with BJJ black belt Gustavo Dantas about how to use sports psychology to create unshakeable confidence and perform to the best of your ability in competition.

The second-ever Grapplearts Radio Q&A format podcast.  In this episode I answer questions from my newsletter readers and cover many topics, including How to come back to BJJ training after an injury... and not lose your mind while you're rehabbing... Options for transitioning out of Z guard (and half guard in general) to open guard How to improve your BJJ cardio so you don't gas out on the mats so easily A beginner's approach to learning guard passing How to know what techniques you should be focusing on in your drilling And much more...

Stephan Kesting interviews Jeff Westfall from The Martial Brain podcast. They discuss kata vs real training, chi power and other martial hoaxes, and the power of applying a skeptical mindset to learning martial arts.    

In this episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast Stephan Kesting talks with Bernardo Faria, the 2015 BJJ Mundials 99kg and Absolute division winner.   Bernardo Faria talks about... How he won the Worlds despite 'not being at all talented in jiu-jitsu' Competition mindset going into big tournaments His highly individual BJJ gameplan What he's learned training with Marcelo Garcia in NYC The physical conditioning routine that gets him into top shape for competition How he's modifying his game to work no-gi in ADCC And much more...

Stephan Kesting interviews Roxanne Modaferri about the differences between MMA training in Japan and the USA, continuing to improve after 12 years in the sport, snapping a 6 fight losing streak, and what tryouts forThe Ultimate Fighter were really like. Download Stephan Kesting's Roadmap for BJJ book for free at http://www.grapplearts.com/book

Steve Whittier is a cool guy. He manages to combine both thoughtful analyses and controversial opinions into one eloquent package. In this interview we talked about lots of different BJJ and MMA related topics, but the main emphasis and recurring theme was functional drilling and the efficacy of different types of BJJ training methods. http://www.nexusma.com http://www.grapplearts.com

BJJ Black Belts Ritchie Yip and Stephan Kesting have a wide-ranging discussion, centered around tips that BJJ beginners need to know.   Material covered includes: Whether beginners should in their own class or mixed in with more advanced people Things to look for when checking out a new school How to avoid situations where you’re just going to get maliciously rag dolled by senior students How instructors can teach a class of differing levels What the the only real spiritual benefits of martial arts training is How to tell if a martial arts school is run by a complete A-hole Why training with black belts only is a huge mistake What happens when people interested in taking a kickboxing class end up in the jiu-jitsu class by mistake Why learning jiu-jitsu is much harder than learning boxing, and how not to get discouraged during that learning process The most insane idea Stephan has ever had for making a training dummy And much more... For more about Ritchie check out www.infighting.ca For more about Stephan c

Here's a really cool video interview I did with my friend, BJJ blackbelt, renowned coach, and fierce competitor Elliott Bayev.   This interview is special because we break down the steps of building a BJJ gameplan.  We go right from the basic BJJ self defense gameplan, and build up to the intricate strategies used by world class competitors. There are tons of immediately useful takeaways here.  And along the way we also discuss self defense, the role of competition, and the evolution of new techniques and positions in BJJ. If you want to download Elliott's Complete Spider Guard Gameplan Mindmap for free visit http://www.grapplearts.com/spider/

This is a really cool interview with my friend, black belt, and fierce competitor Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins.  Brandon and I originally worked together to create the highly acclaimed instructional How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent Volume 2. In our time together today Brandon and I discuss, Life and death on the seminar circuit, What changes you need to make to your guard to transition from gi to no-gi, How to connect moves together to make a smooth and fluid game, The evolution of jiu-jitsu, including the new positions and strategies that are continuously changing the sport, Why you always need to pushing to improve your position even when you're ahead on points. And much more...